Hartlepool Stadium

Hartlepool Stadium was a greyhound racing, football, cricket and rugby union stadium in Clarence Road, Hartlepool, County Durham.

Hartlepool Stadium
LocationClarence Road, Hartlepool, County Durham
Coordinates54°41′15″N 1°12′44″W
Closed1999

It is not to be confused with Victoria Park (Hartlepool) which was adjacent to the stadium in Clarence Road.[1]

Origins

The site was first used as a cricket ground in 1881 when the Hartlepool Cricket Club moved there from Burn Road. They continued to play at the ground until 1911.[2]

After the cricket team vacated the ground it was converted into a football stadium on the south side of Victoria Park (Hartlepool) which was the home of West Hartlepool R.F.C..[3]

Greyhound racing

A greyhound track was constructed around the ground in 1938.[4] The first meeting was held on 14 September 1938 drawing an attendance of 4,000 and the first winner was a greyhound called Arran Beg.[5] During the war the track suffered considerable bomb damage.[6]

Owned by the Hartlepool Greyhound Racing Company Ltd (HGRC) the track had a small 365 yards circumference and race distances of 266, 460 and 640 yards. There was a covered stand, a restaurant, 35 kennels and an 'Inside Sumner' hare system was used. There were seven on course bookmakers and the principal event was the Vaux Tankard. Facilities included a licensed bar and cafe.[7] The racing was independent (unaffiliated to a governing body).

Rugby union
Main article: West Hartlepool R.F.C.

West Hartlepool played at the stadium from the 1920s until the 1970s.[8]

Closure

Greyhound racing continued to be promoted by the HGRC until 1999 when the stadium closed. It was later demolished and redeveloped into a large Morrisons supermarket.

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References
  1. "Clarence Road Stand 1985". HHT & N.org.
  2. "Hartlepool Cricket Club". official Sport Network.
  3. "OS County Series Durham 1919". old-maps.co.uk.
  4. "OS Plan 1954-1955". old-maps.co.uk.
  5. Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File. Ringpress Books. ISBN 0-948955-15-5.
  6. "Greyhound Stadium Bomb Damage". HHT & N.org.
  7. Furby, R (1968). Independent Greyhound Racing. New Dominion House.
  8. "A Short History of West". official Sport Network.
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